Free movies another reason to visit the library

DeKALB – Would you have liked your parents when they were your age? And how much can one event change history?

Those questions are at the heart of the popular 1985 film “Back To The Future,” starring Michael J. Fox, in which he is sent back in time and accidentally meets his parents.

The movie will be shown for free at 2 p.m. on Saturday in the DeKalb Public Library reference room as part of the Saturday Cinema at the Library program.

According to programming and public relations director Edith Craig, the library purchased a license last August to show an unlimited number of movies through the year. Movies, she said, are shown every Saturday afternoon except during book sales or when they conflict with another event. There are also movies on days when there is no school in DeKalb Dist. 428.

The movies are shown for free, with free popcorn, bottled water, and sometimes hot chocolate.

“We have a good mix of movies,” Craig said. “We show popular movies, family movies and classics, nothing higher than a PG rating. We were hoping for a Clint Eastwood Western, but it was too violent.”

Library director Dee Coover said the movies serve both an entertainment and education purpose.

“Librarians have always been interested in supplying information,” she said. “People learn in different ways. Some people learn from hands-on, some learn by reading, and some visually.”

She said the library is considering an adult book club in which people would read a book that inspired a movie, then watch the movie and discuss both.

“The point would be to take the written word and take someone’s interpretation of it and compare the two,” she said.

Attendance, Craig said, is based on both the movie and the weather. The Harry Potter series drew crowds last fall, while a little-known movie like “My Little Pony” didn’t draw anyone.

“We seem to get more feedback when it’s popular or a classic,” she said.

A three-department panel consisting of Craig, the library’s tween coordinator and the children’s library director chose the movies a month at a time. People can suggest films by calling Craig at 815-756-9568, ext. 260.